Timmy sweats through intense therapy sessions for hours each day, balancing school work as well.

His improvements are obvious. He has gained close to 30 pounds and is back to a healthy weight. He is slowly regaining movement of his arms, hands and feet. His neck brace is now gathering dust beside his bed.

A list of goals hangs in Timmy’s room: to brush his teeth and put on his shirt. He slowly builds those skills in his daily therapy sessions.

Timmy’s mother has been sleeping on a pull out chair in Timmy’s hospital room since he arrived.

Timmy was discharged from in-patient care this week, and will soon begin out-patient care at Craig, which could last months.

He’s also learning to use helpful voice-activated technology. He’ll need those tools this fall, when he hopes to return home and back to school.

“It’s going to be scary because like I’m different now,” Timmy said. “If I go somewhere I’m always going to be the one being looked at. You know what I’m saying? Yeah, it’s going to feel different. At least I’ll have friends and family by my side.”

In early March, Timmy started training on the Lokomat, a robotic walker that guides Timmy through the walking motion. It’s good for his joints and bones, and helps Timmy relearn the stepping pattern. On the machine, his legs guide an avatar that moves on a screen in front of him.

Timmy and his family credit Craig Hospital for the incredible strides he’s taken.

With intense therapy, they’re are hopeful Timmy will walk again. But it’s not given and it won’t be easy.

“I’ve kind of accepted, what I have got to do now. I’m looking forward to the future, I’m not looking at the past anymore,” Timmy said. “The past is the past, you know? I’m looking to the future. To see if I can stand again. Take a step.”

Until then, hope will continue to carry him down this long road.

Timmy’s family is still searching for the man and woman who found Timmy injured at the scene. They believe the two were paramedic trainees who were passing by the area when the derailment unfolded.

The community has helped Timmy’s family afford his growing medical bills. A GoFundMe page has already raised around $70,000.